Corrosion problem shutters half of France's nuclear reactors

Christina Macpherson

Jul 2

Just when France, and the rest of Europe, needed the country's 56 nuclear
reactors to be pumping out electricity at maximum power to counter the
shortfall of energy supplies caused by the war in Ukraine, half of them
have had to shut down.

An unexpected corrosion problem on pipes vital to
the safety of one reactor discovered in January has led to a series of
inspections that have so far closed 12 reactors for further investigation
or repair.

The fault seems common to a whole series of France's reactors.
The shutdowns affect four of the largest N4 reactors of 1,500 megawatts,
five 1,300-MW, reactors of similar design, and three 900-MW units. This, on
top of a series of outages at 18 other reactors for repairs, updating, or
regular safety checks, has left France with the lowest nuclear output in
decades.

Energy Mix 29th June 2022